A number of sports share the central feature of a club, bat, racket or stick (hereinafter collectively referred to as a “sports striking object”) which an athlete swings to hit or strike a ball or puck (hereinafter referred to as a “propelled object”). Such sports include golf, baseball, tennis and hockey, among others. There are several metrics that make up an effective swing of the sports striking object in any of these sports. The most critical swing metrics include: (i) the positioning and pressure of the athlete's hands and fingers on the handle of the sports striking object; (ii) the timing and tempo of the swing; (iii) the velocity and acceleration of the sports striking object during the swing and the follow-through; (iv) the angular velocity and angular orientation of the sports striking object during the swing and follow-through; (v) the directional orientation of the sports striking object with respect to a striking plane corresponding to a square impact on the center of the ball/puck in the target direction (hereinafter referred to as the “targeted striking plane”); and (vi) the directional orientation of the swing path of the sports striking object with respect to the targeted striking plane.
There is a need, as yet unmet by the prior art, for a device which will monitor and analyze the foregoing swing metrics in a way that will identify specific flaws in an athlete's swing and thereby suggest corrective measures.